Portomarin - Spain 2016

What a day it has been.  The sun was shining and everyday I feel fresh to walk the Camino. After a good breakfast at Hotel Alfonso I was off. The trail is definitely better than the last two days of hiking.  I think there was only one hill going up as being steep and one rock climb at the end that was a little unusual.  Otherwise it was a rolling trail with some muddy spots. I'm a little amazed at the few spa airs who bike ride it. A bit of a challenging route. 

The sun was shining and this day was filled with a lot more pilgrims.  There was much more unlike before Sarria which in some ways is good.  You don't feel like you are the only one out there.  The trail was more rolling with a few areas where the rain made it challenging.  I love the different places you can stop for a bite to eat or drink. I think some places just decided to go with it and open a cafe because their on the route. It's busy enough where they can do good business. I know I stopped for a cafe and later for a tortilla, one of my favorites. 

You hear many of the romantic languages on the trail like French , Spanish and Italian. Plus I like seeing what gear people are carrying you can almost guess where they are from based on the brand names. 

There aren't as many churches on this route which is disappointing but I loved the first one where this old man was there to stamp your passport.  Some of these old churches had beautiful cemeteries where the whole family is buried.  They are beautiful to see. 

But in the end I loved ending up in Portomarin, a small hillside town along a river.  You have to hike to your pension but it is so worth it. I'm at a place where you can't value enough that you can have a hot shower and blow dry your hair.  They even have a restaurant where you can have a good dinner. A complete package.  

Anyway, a good day of hiking all around. Below are a few of Sarria and along the way to Portomarin.